Judges suspected the dog was the reincarnation of a secular lawyer who had insulted the court's judges 20 years ago. PHOTO: FILE

JERUSALEM: A Jerusalem rabbinical court condemned to death by stoning a dog it suspects is the reincarnation of a secular lawyer who insulted the court’s judges 20 years ago, Ynet website reported Friday.

According to Ynet, the large dog made its way into the Monetary Affairs Court in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighbourhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem, frightening judges and plaintiffs.

Despite attempts to drive the dog out of the court, the hound refused to leave the premises.

One of the sitting judges then recalled a curse the court had passed down upon a secular lawyer who had insulted the judges two decades previously.

Their preferred divine retribution was for the lawyer’s spirit to move into the body of a dog, an animal considered impure by traditional Judaism.

Clearly still offended, one of the judges sentenced the animal to death by stoning by local children.

The canine target, however, managed to escape.

“Let the Animals Live”, an animal-welfare organisation filed a complaint with the police against the head of the court, Rabbi Avraham Dov Levin, who denied that the judges had called for the dog’s stoning, Ynet reported.

One of the court’s managers, however, confirmed the report of the lapidation sentence to Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot.

“It was ordered… as an appropriate way to ‘get back at’ the spirit which entered the poor dog,” the paper reported the manager as saying, according to Ynet.

Certain schools of thought within Judaism believe in the transmigration of souls, or reincarnation.

The story is most likely true. It is just a face saving retraction.
Anyone familiar with jewish Rabbinical law know that they believe in re-incarnation for e.g women of “loose” character come back as animate object etcetc. And yes, pls do prove me wrong Mr Tom Weiner.Recommend

@anil:
ok seriously im sick and tired of indians and hindus posintg anti Muslims and anti pakistani comments under articles that have no relation to muslims or pakistan. STOP BEING SO IMMATURE PLEASE!!!!!

as for absurd religios practices lets plz not get started with ur religion. i ahve too much self respect to faqll to the levels u choose to else i too could quote a million absurd beliefs and traditions!Recommend

@Tom:
@Karim Khan:
I just saw this news and was shocked because I watch most of the news and read as many as I can and still I did not know about it. However, thanks for exposing the hoax and the joy of us (Muslims) in Pakistan. Israel has as many parties as Pakistan has and there is a struggle between the liberals and right wing extremists just like Pakistan. If this news were true I would have seen it in liberal media of the world and particularly Israel and the US. The irony is for some Pakistanis NY Times, CNN and BBC are not reliable but an unknown source of such news is authentic like a page from a holy book?

I have not seen this much outrage from Pakistanis over the news of women and girls gang raped, sold, molested at young age, and paraded in the streets by the respectable tribal elders in Pakistan. For Pakistani Muslims a dog in Israel is more important than our innocent women victims. To be honest the followers of both Judaism and Islam do not like dogs and treat it similar to a pig.
Thanks again and regards,
Mirza Recommend